NFL free agent Colin Kaepernick has filed a grievance against NFL owners accusing them of collusion in keeping him out of the league, ABC News reported.
Kaepernick and his attorneys accuse NFL teams of displaying “unusual and bizarre behavior” during the 2017 offseason, according to the court documents originally obtained by ABC News.
“Multiple NFL head coaches and general managers stated that they wanted to sign Mr. Kaepernick, only to mysteriously go silent with no explanation and no contract offer made to Mr. Kaepernick,” the complaint reads. “Other NFL teams stated they had no interest in Mr. Kaepernick and refused to explain why.”
The court filings also mention President Trump’s comments at a rally in Alabama last month, in which he referred to NFL players who kneel during the anthem as “sons of bitches.”
Kaepernick’s complaint says Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have “engaged in various public relations stunts designed to retaliate against Mr. Kaepernick and other players that have joined in Kaepernick’s peaceful protest.”
The complaint calls Trump “an organizing force in the collusion among team owners in their conduct towards” Kaepernick, and claims NFL owners have described Trump’s administration as “causing paradigm shifts in their views toward NFL players.”
The former San Francisco 49ers quarterback wasn’t signed to a team in the off season after opting out of his contract with the 49ers in March, and has yet to receive a contract to play for a new team several weeks into the 2017 NFL season.
{monads}NFL reporter Mike Freeman reported Kaepernick is preparing a statement on his grievance, which will come under the current collective bargaining agreement between NFL players and owners.
Kaepernick was the first NFL player to begin kneeling during the national anthem last season. The quarterback took a knee in protest of police brutality and the mistreatment of minorities in America. Other players later joined him in kneeling or raising a fist during the anthem.
Trump has attacked Kaepernick for kneeling, suggesting that he was still a free agent because he didn’t stand. His comments last month led to widespread protests throughout the NFL, with dozens of players kneeling as the anthem played, and several owners joining their players on the field in solidarity.